Upgrade your bedroom for free!

So recently I have been watching those 'Room Tour' videos on YouTube and it just makes me inspired to do my room up too. However some of us are not as lucky to be given a budget for this kind of thing so what do we do? We improvise with the things that we already have!

So I wanted those wall cubes for my room and after some searching around they're typically around £15-£40 BUT I recently found that the lid of an old (gift) box is the perfect alternative:

The next thing is using these pretty glass pebbles typically used in vases) to fill up old chocolate trays like the ones I have here. I found these pebbles in a big bag for just £1 in the pound shop

Do you struggle to find ways of storing all your skin care products? 

Well I used the bottom of this Soap and Glory gift set that I was given. I love the retro collage and I think fits well with my beauty theme

More tray ideas: here I have my perfume boxes, I took the perfumes out for display and the lotion in the soap and glory tray. This DKNY box is really nice on the inside and will make a really useful tray whereas the lid will act as a decorate stand for my perfumes!

Now for the wall area around my mirror I decided to stick this Marc Jacob flower cutout. You can find stuff this this in the fragrance section in department stores where they have decorative cards for you to sample their perfumes on. 

 

My next idea is to use old make up products as decoation. Here I have these really cool lip glosses in the shape of chunky crayons. I just stuck them on the wall with the Glue Dots which are very strong and secure.

 You can use your wall hangings to decoratively keep things like clips and broaches. Here I've also put my mustache glasses on :)

More storage idea for jewellery-This gift box

Finally you can use these cute little net pouches that usually come with bits of jewellery. I'm guessing they're also pretty cheap online too. You can use them to keep any electronic equip or anything that needs to be kept secure and tidy

Gift Hunting

So it's my dear cousin's 18th in less than a month and I was wrecking my brain on what to get her.
In previous years for both birthdays and Eid, we couldn't go wrong with giving her a new mascara as she always seemed to need another one anyway. But this year I wanted to be different and just possibly a little unique with my gift.

So as I was scrolling through my Tumblr dashboard I passed a picture of a magazine clutch bag from Hijab Treasures, and that's when I knew it would be the perfect present! It's a monochrome collage made up of Vogue covers and just looked incredibly classy! Especially since her Tumblr is one of those 'black & white' blogs so I thought it was very fitting!
At only £10 it was also quite a deal as I did search around a little and found nothing under that price (even on eBay!) Plus I got a 15% discount which just about cut the postage cost. Obviously then we can fill the bag with little goodies such as the ever appreciated mascara =)

Also available in gold

www.hijabtreasures.com 

Product recommendations

Ok so this just might be totally random but I need to rave about this product because I don't think everybody is familiar with it:

Corsodyl Mouthwash

It's a brand specifically noted for their healthy gums campaign and uses medicated formulas to do so. 

The first time I actually had to use this product was about 6 years ago after my (oral) operation and I was advised to use this product (it was a different bottle-with a worse taste >_<) as it'll care for my mouth and help it get better. 

Also one time my mum had gum infection and it would have cost her £££ to treat, however all she had to do was use Corsodyl toothpaste/mouthwash and it improved so much that even her dentist was surprised!

ANYWAY...

The reason that I'm talking about this is that right now I'm suffering with a mouth ulcer *eww* and we don't have any Bonjela/soothing gels around, so I decided to use this mouthwash. I began using it around 3 days ago and my ulcer is improving A LOT. Usually it takes about a week or so to go away but during that period it's pretty uncomfortable. Now I'm feeling no pain or discomfort and I am certain it'll be gone in the next day or two.

I like to use it before I go to bed because as we all know that's the time our bodies like to repair itself (or regenerate as we Whovians would like to say)

I personally believe this mouthwash should replace any other dental care product in your bathroom (except for the basic toothpaste and brush!) because it really does work...Tried and tested!

Sweater Love

Just ordered a set of fabric paint tubes from Amazon with my gift voucher :) and I plan on designing my own sweaters/t-shirts (I planned to do this during the summer!)

Anyways I need inspiration soo..

DIY the trend...

Jumper = Primark £10

100 pk bronze 8 mm studs = eBay 99p 

I turned 19 on Tuesday!

So the 11th marks my 19th year and woww does time fly!!

Yesterday wasn't anything special although I did get this awesome caterpillar cake

Chocolaty heaven <3

However today was just amazing and you wanna know why??.....

Need I say more? 

It was honestly so brilliant-Totally worth the price. The Lion King had always been my favourite ever since I was little, and seeing it on Broadway made me very nostalgic. Definitely want to see it again! 

Then we headed round to Trafalgar Square where The Hobbit premiere was taking place but unfortunately we didn't get to see any famous people (Martin Freeman!) but the atmosphere was great. Hopefully next week I'll be going to see the film =)

All in all today was a truly memorable day and I am so grateful for everything

DIY Galaxy Notebook

Why yes I did make a little video of the process :))

Fancy...

I was given a stationary set but I didn't like the floral design. SO I decided to get a little creative

Plus the space/galaxy theme is a pretty simple, straightforward design

Oh and of course I had to a some dramatic music lol

❅ Winter Needs ❅

As I've stated on my Twitter (@ThisIsNasima): it seems that the weather is truly syncing with the months. As soon as December 1st came round London had been waking up to frosty greetings, and we should be expecting snow some time soon :)

Now for me living at home there isn't much of a problem finding things that I need during winter as it's all provided by my parents, however for some students living away from home they aren't so fortunate as to know where they can find useful items to get them through.

The other day I was on the phone with my friend and she was telling me how cold her hands were and that she needed gloves. I suggested she buy heated hand warmers which she could heat up in the morning, then throughout the day it'll keep her hands nice and warm!

They're pretty inexpensive and you can buy them in any drug store like Superdrug and Boots. And if you have a few more pounds to spend then you can get one in cool shapes and styles    

Along with hand warmers, mini hot water bottles can also help accompany you on those trips to school/work or even to the supermarket. Just pop it in a thin tote bag and hold it in your arms or carry on your shoulder. Paperchase hootsweet hot water bottle

Beauty essentials containing properties that will help protect your skin from the wind, rain and general frosty air. As we all (should) know, we tend to loose a lot of moisture during winter times and the cold leaves our faces and hands especially dry and crackly.

This cream not only keeps hand moisturised but kills bacteria which is super handy to prevent germs especially flu germs ew. Find it here at Boots

Nails are also prone to weaken during winter so it's handy to have a strengthening nail polish to prevent unwanted chipping, weak nails. I recommend: Diamond Strength Nail Hardener 

Again this or anything similar can be found in drug stores or even supermarkets that sell beauty products.

For the face and rest of the body I find that Astral cream to be the most essential because of its rich,  nourishing texture that softens the skin and creates as barrier against the cold

Astral Cream 500ML

We mustn't forget the ever so handy LIP BALMS 

These are pretty much essential all year round varying from SPF formulas, fruity scents and just general protection.

I like to switch between my Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream and Strawberry Skittles Lip Smacker

TISSUES!!

I cannot leave my house without a pack of tissues, ESPECIALLY in winter. Balsam by Kleenex is specially designed to leave a protective balm on the skin and stops your nose from becoming red and dry.

As for clothing, New Look would be the first place to go for reasonable prices and student discounts:

< Got to keep the rest of your head warm New Look £5

This coat from Mango is only £45 and looks really cozy as well as looking pretty stylish and practical 

Dorothy Perkins have these cool high top trainers that are lined with faux fur for extra warmth. They also have a hidden wedge inside. Colours come in beige (mink), red, blue so there's plenty of choice

Another item of footwear that really caught my attention were these black leather boots from H&M

and what I love most about this shoe is that it's 100% leather and has chunky rubber soles perfect for walking on icy roads. At £59.99 it is pretty expensive (for me anyway!) but it seems like a worthy investment and WAY better than having your toes fall off due to cheap, crappy shoes (like the ones I currently own)

Last but not least for clothing: Thermal underwear/leggings (ASDA £4.00)

That means you can still wear those skinny jeans without fearing that your legs will turn into ice sticks. I suppose regular tights or leggings could do the trick but I could highly recommend ones with thermal properties. 

Fan heaters are great especially for students living in accommodation where the heating only comes on during a specific period. (as I've been told) They're small, easy to carry and perfect for those days when you're just sat in your room.

Anyway these are just a few things that I would suggest for an easier winter time and obviously there are more great products, it's just a matter of finding them =)
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Body Shop Goodies!!

It seems that the Muffin Man has cooked us something special for this season!

GINGER SPARKLE COLLECTION

I've never bought anything from the Body Shop because it's too expensive for me, but this was one of three scents new for Christmas and as soon as I smelled ginger sparkle I fell in LOVE

So of course I had to get me some gingery loveliness :3

I browsed a useful site called: Vouchercloud and found a voucher that let me get £10 off if I spend £20 (this offer has expired now!) so I just couldn't resist.

I decided to get the gift set (as pictured) which was £15 (worth around 20), and three heart soaps (£2 each/3 for 2) one for my friend who ended up loving the scent too and another two for my cousins. 

So really I could say I bought the gift set for about a fiver which is AWESOME

Seriously though,  if you haven't tried Ginger Sparkle...YOU NEED TOO ASAP

Anyone remember the “Daddy or chips?” ad?

Well anyways I was looking for a gift and this made me laugh out loud because I remember the time when I was sitting with my plate of chips, and my dad came and took one just like the dad did in the advert.

And the best part of the personalisation of this product is that you can change the words 'daddy' and 'chips'. So you can change it if  you call your dad by a different name (in your own language? - I call mine abbu) then it would make it extra special

Fallen Angels > Vampires

This post is dedicated to one of my favourite book series, Hush Hush.
And from the title you can probably guess that it's about fallen Angels and whatnot. Vampires are so 2010.

Let's not forget the epic BOOK TRAILERS
HUSH HUSH
CRESCENDO
SILENCE
FINALE

Just finished Finale last night, and I kid you not as soon as I read the last two lines and realised that it was the end, I threw the book out of my hands. "this cannot be!"

Despite people somewhat comparing this series to Twilight, I would have to say that Hush Hush has so much more depth and more mystery to its characters.
Plus Nora knows how to fight her own battles without cowering behind  her boyfriend. Jus' sayin'!

Sad it's over but glad it happened